Professional Profile: William Ball - 1974

Name: William Ball - 1974

Title: President

Company: New Hampshire Assn. of Realtors

Location: Somersworth

William Ball, 40, Somersworth, N.H. president of the New Hampshire Assn. of Realtors, believes nothing can be accomplished unless everyone works together toward a common goal. It is this philosophy, which he tried to instill in the state’s Realtors when he unexpectedly had to assume the association’s leadership last year after NHAR President John Wyatt perished in an airplane accident. Ball, who was serving as first vice president at the time after working his way up through the positions of treasurer and second vice president, acknowledged that no vice president ever expects to be called upon to hold such responsibility, but he said he was able to make the transition because of the support provided by NHAR directors and membership. At the start of his second term, Ball set his goals on continued growth in membership and wants indoctrination courses established for new members of each board throughout the state. Ball is also setting his sights on new quarters for the state headquarters in Concord and has a building fund campaign planned. Most importantly, however, Ball wants each Realtor in the approximately 700-member organization to develop personal confidence in themselves and their association, which this year added 400 associates to its rolls. To accomplish this goal, he believes Realtors should learn unity, which he calls the greatest of all virtues. To help his organization accomplish this unity, Ball has devoted himself, morally and ethically, to serve each and every member’s needs. Ball, a graduate of McIntosh Business College, is the principal of Bill Ball Realtor, which is associated with Ball-Furbish Insurance & Real Estate in Somersworth. The agency handles most residential and commercial property and Ball also does appraisal work and is the field appraiser for the Federal Housing Administration. The Ball Agency was started in 1938 by Ball’s father. When the elder Ball passed away in 1949, Ball’s mother and aunt continued the business. Ball and his twin brother entered the business together, but his brother left after a year to pursue the priesthood and is now a Roman Catholic priest in Vermont. Ball stayed with the agency and under his directorship guided it through a series of mergers, which included Kendall Insurance of Rochester and eventually with Spencer Furbush. During this period, Ball’s mother became semi-inactive in the business, but he admits he does occasionally call on her for help. While the firm was growing, so was Ball’s involvement with the NHAR. A past president of the Stratford County Board of Realtors, Ball has served for two years as its president and two years as a director. He is executive director of the Stratford County Multiple Listing Board. His grassroots work in the Realtor movement has convinced him of the importance of being a Realtor at all three levels, local, state and national. He avidly supports the national association because of its endeavor on behalf of its constituency to establish high standards of organization through education and legislation. On the state level, he is carrying this program out with the proposed indoctrination courses. He is pleased to point out that the Univ. of N.H. is offering more and varied courses in real estate and he is strongly behind the Tri State Realtor Institute, which is sponsored by the Realtor associations in Me., Vt. and N.H. Ball said all of this is part of the Realtor code, which is to build knowledge and competence to better serve the client. On the civic front, Ball has actively been involved in Somersworth. He has been a member of the board of assessors for 16 years and was one of the founders of the Somersworth Board of Economic Councils. A past president for two years of the Somersworth-Berwick Little League, Ball is a member of the Rotary; Knights of Columbus and past president of the Holy Trinity Parish Council. Ball and his wife Ann have two sons, Greg, 13, and Jamie, 11.